Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A gressorial and raptorial orthopterous insect of the family Mantidæ; a praying-mantis, camel-insect. or devil's coach-horse: so called from the way in which it rears upon its hind legs.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A mantis.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
mantis .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Because it rears up when disturbed.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word rear-horse.
Examples
-
The mantis is also called a devil-horse, a rear-horse, a camel-cricket, and many other names inspired by its outlandish appearance.
The Insect Folk Margaret Warner Morley 1890
ruzuzu commented on the word rear-horse
See grasper.
March 16, 2011